Windhoek
With barely three days left before the MTC Premiership resumes activities for the decisive second round, the customary merry-go-round of players has delivered its first upset.
In a shocking but widely expected move Tura Magic has agreed to release want-away midfielder Neville Tjiueza, respecting his wish to join his boyhood club, African Stars.
Speculation has been rife in the last couple of months that the playmaker had his sights set on playing for the Reds since the start of the current term.
Sources close to the action say the club did everything possible to hold on to their most prized asset, but the situation became untenable as the player started to misbehave and miss training sessions in a desperate effort to force the club’s hand to let him go.
“Look, the boy has great talent, but he has in recent months become a law unto himself, to the extent that he became a destructive influence in the changing room.
“We’ve tried our level best to keep him, but finally realised that we’re fighting a losing battle – hence our decision to release him so that he can join the club of his choice,” said the source,” speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Reds have been chasing the midfielder’s signature for a considerable period and his inevitable recruitment is likely to make the club’s diehards heave a huge sigh of relief to finally have their prime target on board.
“No footballer is bigger than the club and it would have been extremely unwise of Tura Magic to keep an unhappy player. Apart from that, we also took into consideration that the boy is entering the twilight of his football career and in all honesty, he has only two or three more years of football left in his legs.
It’s better to set him free now so that he can go to a club where he can make more money before retirement.”
Although our source declined to reveal the figure involved in the transfer fee between the two clubs, New Era Sport has established that it is almost a done deal and only the dotting of the i’s and crossing of the t’s remains to be done before the deal is concluded.
The nimble-footed attacking midfielder is likely to make his much-anticipated debut in the Reds’ colours against coastal giants Blue Waters and Eleven Arrows, respectively, in Walvis Bay this weekend.